Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) Receives $154.39 Consensus PT from Analysts

Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the ten ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $154.39.

ATO has been the topic of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Atmos Energy from $142.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. StockNews.com lowered Atmos Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Wolfe Research started coverage on Atmos Energy in a research note on Monday, March 31st. They issued a “peer perform” rating for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $164.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised shares of Atmos Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. lifted its stake in Atmos Energy by 33.3% during the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. now owns 8,000 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,114,000 after acquiring an additional 2,000 shares in the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. lifted its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 50.0% during the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 300 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC boosted its stake in shares of Atmos Energy by 12.4% in the fourth quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC now owns 348,988 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $48,604,000 after purchasing an additional 38,459 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its stake in Atmos Energy by 12.7% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 6,029 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $840,000 after purchasing an additional 681 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Atmos Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $10,319,000. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Atmos Energy Stock Up 0.7 %

NYSE ATO opened at $157.37 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $150.32 and a 200 day moving average price of $144.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a current ratio of 1.56. The company has a market cap of $24.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.69. Atmos Energy has a one year low of $110.97 and a one year high of $159.20.

Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.23 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.20 by $0.03. Atmos Energy had a net margin of 25.90% and a return on equity of 8.89%. Research analysts anticipate that Atmos Energy will post 7.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Atmos Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th were given a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 25th. Atmos Energy’s payout ratio is 49.57%.

About Atmos Energy

Atmos Energy Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the regulated natural gas distribution, and pipeline and storage businesses in the United States. It operates through two segments, Distribution, and Pipeline and Storage. The Distribution segment is involved in the regulated natural gas distribution and related sales operations in eight states.